How many servings in your cake?
Pick a tin size, shape, and tier count, and get party and wedding slice counts side by side.
Free. No signup needed.The short answer
An 8 inch round cake serves about 20 party slices or 24 slim wedding slices. A 10 inch round serves 28 party or 38 wedding. Pick your tin below for both counts at any size, shape, or tier stack.
How many servings in your cake?
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The cake
Tin
Party slices
20
Generous 1.5 x 2 in slice, the usual birthday portion
Chart figures for a cake about 4 in tall. Taller tiers give bigger slices, not more of them. Heart and hexagon have no trade chart, so they are worked from slice area. For a wedding, quote the wedding count and cut a test slice on a spare tier.
Save this serving count against the enquiry, so the quote and the bake sheet agree.
Start free trialWhat size cake for how many people
| Guests | One tier | Party slices | Tier stack | Wedding slices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 people | 8 in round | 20 | 8 in | 24 |
| 30 people | 12 in round | 40 | 8, 6 in | 36 |
| 40 people | 12 in round | 40 | 10, 8 in | 62 |
| 50 people | 14 in round | 54 | 10, 8 in | 62 |
| 70 people | More than one tier | - | 10, 8, 6 in | 74 |
| 100 people | More than one tier | - | 12, 10, 8 in | 118 |
| 150 people | More than one tier | - | 14, 12, 10, 8 in | 196 |
Round tins about 4 in tall. Party slices are the pieces you hand out at a birthday, wedding slices the slim ones served on a plate. Always leave a few spare.
The full serving chart
| Tin size | Round | Square | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Wedding | Party | Wedding | |
| 6 in | 12 | 12 | 12 | 18 |
| 7 in | 15 | 16 | 16 | 25 |
| 8 in | 20 | 24 | 20 | 32 |
| 9 in | 24 | 27 | 25 | 41 |
| 10 in | 28 | 38 | 30 | 50 |
| 12 in | 40 | 56 | 48 | 72 |
| 14 in | 54 | 78 | 63 | 98 |
Sheet cake servings
| Sheet pan | Also called | 2 x 2 in | 1.5 x 2 in | 1 x 2 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 x 8 in square | Small square pan | 16 | 21 | 32 |
| 9 x 9 in square | Small square pan | 20 | 27 | 40 |
| 9 x 13 in | Quarter sheet, the home pan | 29 | 39 | 58 |
| 12 x 18 in | Half sheet | 54 | 72 | 108 |
| 13 x 18 in | Half sheet, bakery size | 58 | 78 | 117 |
| 18 x 26 in | Full sheet | 117 | 156 | 234 |
A single layer about 2 in deep. The 2 x 2 in column is the standard sheet cake cut and the one the published charts quote, which is why a 12 x 18 in half sheet reads 54. The narrower cuts are the birthday slice and the slim event slice. A UK baker calls the same thing a tray bake and the counts are identical.
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Cake serving sizes
Serving counts come from the width of the cake and how it will be cut, not from how tall it is or how many sponges are inside.
The two answers
A party slice and a wedding slice are not the same slice
A party slice is about 1.5 in by 2 in, the piece you would hand someone at a birthday. A wedding slice is about 1 in by 2 in, served on a plate after a meal. The same 10 in round gives 28 party slices or 38 wedding slices. Quote the wrong one and you either run short on the day or sell a cake twice the size the couple needed.
Size for size
Square tins feed more than round tins
A 10 in square holds about 27% more cake than a 10 in round, because the corners are cake too. If a customer wants more servings without a bigger cake on the table, switching a tier to square is often the cheapest way to get there.
Height
Taller tiers give bigger slices, not more of them
Serving charts assume a cake about 4 in tall. Baking a 6 in tall tier does not raise the count, because the slice footprint on the board is the same. It gives everyone a taller slice. Plan servings off the width and use the height for the look.
Tiers
Work down from the guest list
Add tiers until the count clears your guest number with a little spare. A common wedding stack is 10 in, 8 in, and 6 in, which comes to about 74 wedding slices. Always leave a few over. There is always someone who takes a second piece and a couple who want a slice boxed for home.
Once the size is settled
The size decides everything after it
Portions come first because every other number follows from the tin. Once you have the size, work out how much batter it takes, then how much buttercream to fill and coat it, and finally what to charge for it. A rich fruit cake is cut far smaller than a sponge, so for Christmas use the Christmas cake calculator instead.
FAQ
Common questions
How many does an 8 inch round cake serve?
About 20 party slices or 24 wedding slices, on a cake around 4 in tall. A 10 in round gives about 28 party or 38 wedding slices.
Are these the same as the standard serving charts?
Yes. Listed tin sizes come from the published two-layer charts the trade quotes from. Sizes in between are worked out from the ones either side.
Does this work for a sheet cake or tray bake?
Yes. Choose Rectangle and enter both sides, and you get the same two counts.
How many servings in a half sheet cake?
About 54 on a 12 x 18 in half sheet, cut the standard 2 in by 2 in. A 13 x 18 in bakery half sheet gives about 58. Cut them at the narrower 1.5 x 2 in birthday slice instead and the same pans give 72 and 78.
How many servings in a quarter sheet cake?
About 29 on a 9 x 13 in pan at the standard 2 in by 2 in cut. That is the pan most home kitchens have, and it is the one usually sold as a quarter sheet even though a true trade quarter is a little larger.
How many servings in a full sheet cake?
About 117 on an 18 x 26 in full sheet at 2 in by 2 in. A full sheet will not fit in a domestic oven, so most bakers make two half sheets and set them side by side on one board.
Should I quote party or wedding servings for a wedding?
Wedding, if the cake is served as dessert on plates. If it goes out on a table for guests to help themselves, quote party servings. People cut bigger pieces when they cut their own.
What size cake do I need for 30 people?
A 12 in round gives about 40 party slices, so it covers 30 with room over. If you would rather keep it small on the table, an 8 in and 6 in stacked gives about 36 slim slices.
What size cake do I need for 50 people?
A single 14 in round gives about 54 party slices. Most bakers stack instead: a 10 in and 8 in comes to about 62 wedding slices and looks far better on a table than one very wide tier.
What size cake do I need for 100 people?
No single tier feeds 100. A 12, 10 and 8 in stack gives about 118 wedding slices, which covers 100 with a few spare for seconds and a slice boxed to take home.
How many people does a 20 cm cake feed?
A 20 cm tin is an 8 in tin, so about 20 party slices or 24 wedding slices. UK and European tins are sold in centimetres: 15 cm is 6 in, 23 cm is 9 in, 25 cm is 10 in.
How many slices do you get from an 8 inch cake?
About 20 at party size and 24 at wedding size. The gap is not the cake, it is the knife: a party slice is cut roughly 1 in by 2 in and a wedding slice half as wide, because guests have usually eaten a meal first.
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